The Best Brooms are the Cleanest Brooms

Ah, the broom: humble, simple and essential. It also happens to be one of my weapons of choice during my daily combat with the evil dust bunny army that has sworn to invade and take over my house. My broom gets used all the time, just not always for cleaning. If Noah is not using it as a sword or Ashley’s not riding it around the backyard pretending she’s in the ‘Quidditch’ match of her life, our broom usually sits in the corner of our closet.

When it does come time to take up arms against the dust bunny army, there’s few things that make me crave a full glass of wine more than a dirty broom that does more harm than good once those bristles hit the floor. Know that awkward dance you do with your broom where you try to remove the insane combination of dust, pet hair, and crumbs with your feet because you don’t want to bend over and remove them by hand? Yeah, I invented that tango.

If your broom is dirtier than the floor you’re trying to clean, it might be time to give your beloved broom a bath. Both vinyl and straw brooms can be (and should be!) cleaned using the following method:

1. Clean out any lint, dust, and hair trapped between the broom’s bristles.
2. Fill a bucket with warm water.
3. Add household cleaner for the vinyl broom. Add dish soap for the straw broom.
4. Soak the broom for about 2 hours.
5. Hang the broom and let dry overnight.

Extend the life of your broom by soaking it in hot salt water for 20 minutes and let it dry before using it the first time.